Once a community has decided it is open to character education implementation, the next step is to conduct a teacher/educator training workshop for a group of teachers who will actually use the material in one or more classes. A “Train the Trainer” workshop aims to help teachers understand their role as character educators and to help them implement character education into their school days.
Teachers as Moral Mentors
Teachers are key figures in the success of any character education program. Teachers are in the position of moral mentors. Effective character education is not taught in the same way as mathematics, science, or other academic subjects, but needs to be modeled by the teacher himself or herself. “Caught as well as taught” is the general idea about moral education. The teacher should be a living example of the virtues being discussed or at least be striving to be so. Studies show that the most effective character educators are well on their way on their journey toward being moral exemplars. A lesson on honesty or respect will be effective only if the teacher is honest with and shows respect for his/her students and others. An encouraging word for teachers is, as previously noted in this manual, that studies have shown that teachers’ own moral vibrancy is enhanced by doing character education.[[#_ftn1|[1]]] One of the best ways for a teacher to become moral is to teach character education to their students!
The teacher’s own moral renewal is an important component to a successful character education program. Thus, in an effective teacher training, the teachers are encouraged to engage personally with the content of the curriculum and to develop their own classroom material as well. As teachers add their creativity and life experience to the process of character education, their effectiveness increases, as well as their confidence as mentors to their students. It is also well to encourage teachers to engage in some self-reflection, asking themselves: “Am I showing daily respect and love for my students? How?” Or, “Do I model good language in front of my students? Is my interaction with other teachers a good example to others? Am I consistent with discipline? Do I respond to student conflict and misbehavior with wisdom, helping the students learn moral integrity, or do I just punish them?”
The ultimate success of the workshop relies on participants being able to experience the effect of the moral content. A prime objective of the workshop is to promote the understanding that character education best takes place through a participatory dialogue between teachers and students. In other words, to be successful, teachers need to come away from the workshop realizing that they need to be engaged in the content along with their students. They need to fully participate in and experience the material themselves if they are to be effective in imparting an emotionally meaningful classroom experience to their students.
Practicing the Recommended Methods
Besides inspiring teachers, the purpose of a teacher training is to introduce and train teachers in the objectives, content, and methods of the character education curriculum. Depending on the time available, the workshop may include practice sessions allowing teachers to participate in the same exercises, games, and reflections recommended for their students. The workshop may include a demonstration where participants observe a trained teacher doing one or more of the lessons with school children of various age groups.
Teachers may also need training in use of the various methods recommended in the teachers’ manuals of the DTRM curriculum. Teachers used to a didactic style of teaching may need time to get used to some of the methodologies used in social and emotional learning and character education. For instance, teachers may not be used to discussing moral issues in the classroom. They may be used to either ignoring moral issues or else imparting knowledge about them in a didactic style. Character education often emphasizes discussions, either among the class as a whole or among small groups. Teachers may need training in the art of guiding and facilitating such discussions towards productive ends. Character education requires maintaining a sensitive balance between allowing students the freedom to express their opinions while not allowing those with immoral or anti-social opinions or behavior problems to dominate the discussion. It also means respecting different opinions even if one does not endorse them. Striking the right balance between directing the students to moral conclusions without sacrificing their “ownership” of the ideas through the process of arriving at them themselves is an art to be learned.
Reflection is also crucial for both teacher and students. The word education derives from the Latin root meaning “to draw out.” Thus, educators should be seeking to draw out of their students a more visionary thought process to aid them in their evolving maturity. There are many reflection exercises in the DTRM character education curriculum that may be used as a guide.
Another technique used in character education is the use of role-play. This method can help students to see situations and relationships from the viewpoint of others. Various kinds of situations can be role-played, such as struggles between parents and their children, between siblings, between friends, or dealing with a bully—a common problem in many schools. By playing different roles, students can come to understand how it feels to be in another person’s shoes. The same situation can be role-played by different students, leading to various possible outcomes. From role-play, students get important concrete practice in actually coping with possible life situations. Since many students already know what is right and what is wrong, role-play is a rehearsal for the all-important step of actually doing what is right in real life.
Journal writing is a powerful experience. Encouraging students to write down their thoughts about what they experience helps them to develop their ability to self-reflect and to be honest with themselves. It challenges them to think through their attitudes and behaviors, which are too often impulsive and do not reflect their true beliefs. It also helps them to unleash their creative potential and their ability to express themselves. In relation to journal writing, many schools now have a meditation time at the beginning and end of each school day whereby students can take a few minutes to reflect on what they want to accomplish for the day (morning) and what they were able to achieve (afternoon). Having the students record their goals and reflect on their achievements may be part of the journal process. This practice allows for a peaceful way to start and conclude the day’s activities. Many students find that they can be much more honest and open on paper than they can be in person, getting to know how they really feel about things—indeed, discovering their true selves.
Through such activities as caring for the elderly, visiting hospitals or shelters, cleaning the neighborhood (or the school itself), or having the responsibility to tutor others, virtues like respect, responsibility and cooperation, which may be mere words on a page or concepts in the mind, may come to life.
In the course of a teachers’ training, educators are exposed to a variety of exercises and games that have been developed over the years by character educators for use in the classroom. They are part and parcel of the interactive methodology that is most effective in teaching character education. The more that students are actively involved in expressing themselves, the more they can process and digest what they are learning cognitively so that it begins to affect their characters. By participating in these activities in the workshop, teachers gain experiences that will help them relate emotionally to the students in their classroom and effectively educate for character.
Using the Lesson Plans During the School Day
As the teachers return to their schools following the training, the hoped-for result is that they will begin to use DTRM in their classrooms. In what way they do this will vary according to the school situation, the desire of the principal, what is permitted by the Ministry or local education department, and the teacher’s own enthusiasm for the material. Teachers will tend to utilize the material in one of the following four ways:
1. As part of the regular curriculum
The ideal result will be that DTRM will be included as part of the regular curriculum, for example, as a course in ethics or civics. For this to happen, usually the Ministry, or at least the local education department, will have had to give its consent, and the school principal must be supportive.
In the United States, a long-term substitute teacher, teaching a course in Family and Consumer Sciences, requested permission from the principal to use Discovering the Real Me as a supplement to the college-level text already in use in the class and was granted permission to do so.
2. During class hours or study halls
Oftentimes, schools, especially high schools, will have in the course of the weekly schedule a “class hour” or “study hall” period, during which the teacher has discretion to utilize the time as he/she sees fit. If the teacher is so motivated, this is an excellent time to conduct a weekly character education class.
3. Extra-curricular activity
Another possibility, if there is no time or no support to have the class during the regular school hours, is to offer the course as an extra-curricular activity. In this case, students who are interested are invited to stay after school for an hour or so to participate, forming a special “Character Club” which will have some benefits of membership. The advantage of this way is that the teacher can be sure that the students who are there sincerely want to be there. As they are already motivated, they are more likely to gain by taking the course.
One teacher who was the advisor for an after school club called SADD (Students Against Destructive Decisions) worked with her club members to adapt lessons from Discovering the Real Me for use in a mentoring program for underclassmen. Teachers involved in learning-support help for students find Discovering the Real Me helpful in instructing the students in social skills. A teacher who works with a Student Assistance Program uses Discovering the Real Me to proactively serve at-risk students. Some schools have formed character education clubs who act out parts of DTRM during school assemblies.
4. Supplementary Resource Material in Other Course
The material may also be used as supplementary resource materials in other courses, such as literature, history, psychology, religion, sex or health education, social studies, and citizenship. Some of the lesson plans have suggested science extensions. The Discovering the Real Me curriculum has enough variety within it to be able to fit into most or all of these kinds of courses.
5. Morning Assembly
Some schools may use DTRM at a daily morning assembly. A morning assembly may emphasize one lesson or story from DTRM. The morning assembly, morning class meetings, or home room time may be used to impart a DTRM component.
6. Forming a Peer Support Group
Since ongoing professional support is important to successful character education efforts, it is highly advisable that there be regular meetings available that school personnel can attend where they meet other teachers and receive ongoing support in their work. Even the most enthusiastic teachers can lose energy and motivation without a support structure. Inevitably, no matter how good the training and how capable the teacher, difficulties are bound to arise either inside or outside the classroom that will challenge a teacher’s commitment to character education. Within the class, he/she may find students unresponsive; outside the class, he/she may be under pressure to give it up. Whatever the reason, teachers need a place to which they can come to share their frustrations, difficulties, triumphs, and methodologies and receive feedback and support.
If it is not possible to have such meetings, perhaps due to lack of a person to organize them or too far distances to travel, another way to offer support and stay in communication with teachers is through a monthly or quarterly newsletter on character education issues. Today there are many such publications, especially in the United States, and it would not be difficult to provide teachers with access to such material. An e-newsletter with a discussion forum might be set up for teachers who are able to access the internet.
7. Training Other Teachers
After some period of time using the material, somewhere between six months to a year, it is advantageous for teachers to attend a more advanced training workshop in which they can share experiences and learn from each other—what works and what doesn’t. They can also gain practice in lecturing the workshop presentations so as to be able to train others. They may have the chance to conduct or observe more demonstrations of lessons to gain insights how to more effectively use the material.
If the character education advocate has good contacts at the Ministry of Education and has been able to make some foundation with schools teaching character education material, the next step may be to create and offer a course on character education at the country’s teacher colleges and/or teacher training institutes. In this way character education becomes a part of the professional development system. Much of the material can come right out of the teacher training workshops or from further research in the field. In preparation, the lecturer may want to take advantage of the many character education conferences that are offered every year, check out character education websites, and buy other character education materials.
Reinforcing Good Character at School, at Home and in the Community
Once teachers are using character education materials in the classroom, character education has the potential to spread further into the school and indeed into the community. This provides a more ideal setting for the moral instruction of the young. The most effective character education programs involve the home, school, and community as a mutually reinforcing network to protect and instruct the young in morality.
A school-wide character education program means seeking to teach virtues through every aspect of the school environment, including cafeteria and bus behavior. A community-wide character education program means that the students are shown the standards for virtuous behavior in public places and in their own homes. The lessons are modeled and reinforced everywhere, providing a moral safety net.
Moral lessons may be taught and applied throughout the curriculum—in literature (fables, folk tales, classical and contemporary stories), history (examples of courage and virtue), science (the order and harmony of the universe; the importance of honesty in scientific inquiry), even mathematics (don’t cheat or copy someone else’s work; figures don’t lie). Schools may publicly promote and reward examples of virtuous behavior, whether among the school’s administrators, teachers and/or students. Other features of a school-wide program would be: having an overall theme; embedding core values in a well-publicized school code of ethics; involving all parts of the school community, from the cooks to the maintenance staff to the bus drivers, soliciting parental understanding and support for the program and having parents reinforce at home the virtues being promoted by the school.
A way to involve the community is to have shopkeepers and business owners attend planning meetings. Encourage them to participate in the school’s character education efforts by inviting them to speak on business ethics or the importance of setting goals or to give their character-based secrets to success on a career day. Businesses may want to reinforce the character education lessons of the school through signs and posters. After all, when students are being taught honesty, the local businesses benefit. They too would like students of character as patrons and would look forward to employing students who have ethics of diligence and pride of craft.
Schools practicing character education can become models for their communities and cities. They can become venues for holding teacher trainings, where some of their own teachers give the presentations and demonstrate character education lessons. They can become school communities wherein every employee is involved in the raising of the young. They can link to the community of parents and stakeholders who would like to see students of good character.
Key Points
Teacher trainings help teachers see their role as moral mentors and help them to understand how to best practice character education in their classrooms.
Character education may be inserted into a school as part of the regular curriculum, during study halls, as an extra-curricular activity or club, as a supplement to other courses, or to set the tone for the day at the school in a morning assembly.
Character education schools engage the entire school community in the business of raising the young.
Character education schools engage parents and the rest of the community in character education.
General Recommendations
To conclude, we would like to offer you some general recommendations for teaching character education. As a conscientious educator, you are probably already doing some, most, or all of these.
Act as a caregiver, model, and mentor, treating students with love and respect, setting a good example, supporting pro-social behavior, and correcting hurtful actions.
Create a moral community in the classroom, helping students know each other, respect and care about each other, and feel that they are valued members in the group.
Practice moral discipline, using the creation and enforcement of rules as opportunities to foster moral reasoning, self-control, and a generalized respect for others.
Create a democratic classroom environment, involving students in decision-making and shared responsibility for making the classroom a good place to be and to learn.
Teach values through the curriculum, using academic subjects as a vehicle for examining ethical issues. (This is simultaneously a school-wide strategy when the curriculum addresses cross-grade concerns such as substance abuse prevention or sex education.
Encourage moral reflection through reading, writing, discussion, decision-making exercises, and debate.
Teach conflict resolution so that students have the capacity and commitment to solve conflicts in fair, nonviolent ways.
Foster caring beyond the classroom, using inspiring role models and opportunities for school and community service to help students learn to care by giving care.
Create a positive moral culture in the school, developing a total school environment (through the leadership of the principal and administrative staff) that supports and amplifies the values taught in classrooms.
Recruit parents and the community as partners in character education, supporting parents as the child’s first moral teachers; encouraging parents to support the school in its efforts to foster good values; and seeking the help of the community (e.g., churches, businesses, and the media) in reinforcing the values the school is trying to teach.
Training Exercise A
Besides the ways named in this section, brainstorm with others how a character education curriculum could be used during a school day.
Training Exercise B
You are a bus driver. You pick up twenty students each day after school and drive them to their neighborhoods. Students behave very poorly on your bus every day. Yet you notice that if you stand outside the bus and greet each student individually as they board, their behavior is better that bus trip.
Name five other ways you can change your own behavior that could affect the way students behave on your bus.
[[#_ftnref|[1]]] Dr. Josephine Hauer, “Educating for Character and Teachers’ Moral Vitality,” Journal of Research in Character Education, Vol. 1, No. 1, Center for Character and Citizenship, University of Missouri, St. Louis.
Table of Contents
Once a community has decided it is open to character education implementation, the next step is to conduct a teacher/educator training workshop for a group of teachers who will actually use the material in one or more classes. A “Train the Trainer” workshop aims to help teachers understand their role as character educators and to help them implement character education into their school days.
Teachers as Moral Mentors
Teachers are key figures in the success of any character education program. Teachers are in the position of moral mentors. Effective character education is not taught in the same way as mathematics, science, or other academic subjects, but needs to be modeled by the teacher himself or herself. “Caught as well as taught” is the general idea about moral education. The teacher should be a living example of the virtues being discussed or at least be striving to be so. Studies show that the most effective character educators are well on their way on their journey toward being moral exemplars. A lesson on honesty or respect will be effective only if the teacher is honest with and shows respect for his/her students and others. An encouraging word for teachers is, as previously noted in this manual, that studies have shown that teachers’ own moral vibrancy is enhanced by doing character education.[[#_ftn1|[1]]] One of the best ways for a teacher to become moral is to teach character education to their students!The teacher’s own moral renewal is an important component to a successful character education program. Thus, in an effective teacher training, the teachers are encouraged to engage personally with the content of the curriculum and to develop their own classroom material as well. As teachers add their creativity and life experience to the process of character education, their effectiveness increases, as well as their confidence as mentors to their students. It is also well to encourage teachers to engage in some self-reflection, asking themselves: “Am I showing daily respect and love for my students? How?” Or, “Do I model good language in front of my students? Is my interaction with other teachers a good example to others? Am I consistent with discipline? Do I respond to student conflict and misbehavior with wisdom, helping the students learn moral integrity, or do I just punish them?”
The ultimate success of the workshop relies on participants being able to experience the effect of the moral content. A prime objective of the workshop is to promote the understanding that character education best takes place through a participatory dialogue between teachers and students. In other words, to be successful, teachers need to come away from the workshop realizing that they need to be engaged in the content along with their students. They need to fully participate in and experience the material themselves if they are to be effective in imparting an emotionally meaningful classroom experience to their students.
Practicing the Recommended Methods
Besides inspiring teachers, the purpose of a teacher training is to introduce and train teachers in the objectives, content, and methods of the character education curriculum. Depending on the time available, the workshop may include practice sessions allowing teachers to participate in the same exercises, games, and reflections recommended for their students. The workshop may include a demonstration where participants observe a trained teacher doing one or more of the lessons with school children of various age groups.Teachers may also need training in use of the various methods recommended in the teachers’ manuals of the DTRM curriculum. Teachers used to a didactic style of teaching may need time to get used to some of the methodologies used in social and emotional learning and character education. For instance, teachers may not be used to discussing moral issues in the classroom. They may be used to either ignoring moral issues or else imparting knowledge about them in a didactic style. Character education often emphasizes discussions, either among the class as a whole or among small groups. Teachers may need training in the art of guiding and facilitating such discussions towards productive ends. Character education requires maintaining a sensitive balance between allowing students the freedom to express their opinions while not allowing those with immoral or anti-social opinions or behavior problems to dominate the discussion. It also means respecting different opinions even if one does not endorse them. Striking the right balance between directing the students to moral conclusions without sacrificing their “ownership” of the ideas through the process of arriving at them themselves is an art to be learned.
Reflection is also crucial for both teacher and students. The word education derives from the Latin root meaning “to draw out.” Thus, educators should be seeking to draw out of their students a more visionary thought process to aid them in their evolving maturity. There are many reflection exercises in the DTRM character education curriculum that may be used as a guide.
Another technique used in character education is the use of role-play. This method can help students to see situations and relationships from the viewpoint of others. Various kinds of situations can be role-played, such as struggles between parents and their children, between siblings, between friends, or dealing with a bully—a common problem in many schools. By playing different roles, students can come to understand how it feels to be in another person’s shoes. The same situation can be role-played by different students, leading to various possible outcomes. From role-play, students get important concrete practice in actually coping with possible life situations. Since many students already know what is right and what is wrong, role-play is a rehearsal for the all-important step of actually doing what is right in real life.
Journal writing is a powerful experience. Encouraging students to write down their thoughts about what they experience helps them to develop their ability to self-reflect and to be honest with themselves. It challenges them to think through their attitudes and behaviors, which are too often impulsive and do not reflect their true beliefs. It also helps them to unleash their creative potential and their ability to express themselves. In relation to journal writing, many schools now have a meditation time at the beginning and end of each school day whereby students can take a few minutes to reflect on what they want to accomplish for the day (morning) and what they were able to achieve (afternoon). Having the students record their goals and reflect on their achievements may be part of the journal process. This practice allows for a peaceful way to start and conclude the day’s activities. Many students find that they can be much more honest and open on paper than they can be in person, getting to know how they really feel about things—indeed, discovering their true selves.
Through such activities as caring for the elderly, visiting hospitals or shelters, cleaning the neighborhood (or the school itself), or having the responsibility to tutor others, virtues like respect, responsibility and cooperation, which may be mere words on a page or concepts in the mind, may come to life.
In the course of a teachers’ training, educators are exposed to a variety of exercises and games that have been developed over the years by character educators for use in the classroom. They are part and parcel of the interactive methodology that is most effective in teaching character education. The more that students are actively involved in expressing themselves, the more they can process and digest what they are learning cognitively so that it begins to affect their characters. By participating in these activities in the workshop, teachers gain experiences that will help them relate emotionally to the students in their classroom and effectively educate for character.
Using the Lesson Plans During the School Day
As the teachers return to their schools following the training, the hoped-for result is that they will begin to use DTRM in their classrooms. In what way they do this will vary according to the school situation, the desire of the principal, what is permitted by the Ministry or local education department, and the teacher’s own enthusiasm for the material. Teachers will tend to utilize the material in one of the following four ways:1. As part of the regular curriculum
The ideal result will be that DTRM will be included as part of the regular curriculum, for example, as a course in ethics or civics. For this to happen, usually the Ministry, or at least the local education department, will have had to give its consent, and the school principal must be supportive.In the United States, a long-term substitute teacher, teaching a course in Family and Consumer Sciences, requested permission from the principal to use Discovering the Real Me as a supplement to the college-level text already in use in the class and was granted permission to do so.
2. During class hours or study halls
Oftentimes, schools, especially high schools, will have in the course of the weekly schedule a “class hour” or “study hall” period, during which the teacher has discretion to utilize the time as he/she sees fit. If the teacher is so motivated, this is an excellent time to conduct a weekly character education class.3. Extra-curricular activity
Another possibility, if there is no time or no support to have the class during the regular school hours, is to offer the course as an extra-curricular activity. In this case, students who are interested are invited to stay after school for an hour or so to participate, forming a special “Character Club” which will have some benefits of membership. The advantage of this way is that the teacher can be sure that the students who are there sincerely want to be there. As they are already motivated, they are more likely to gain by taking the course.One teacher who was the advisor for an after school club called SADD (Students Against Destructive Decisions) worked with her club members to adapt lessons from Discovering the Real Me for use in a mentoring program for underclassmen. Teachers involved in learning-support help for students find Discovering the Real Me helpful in instructing the students in social skills. A teacher who works with a Student Assistance Program uses Discovering the Real Me to proactively serve at-risk students. Some schools have formed character education clubs who act out parts of DTRM during school assemblies.
4. Supplementary Resource Material in Other Course
The material may also be used as supplementary resource materials in other courses, such as literature, history, psychology, religion, sex or health education, social studies, and citizenship. Some of the lesson plans have suggested science extensions. The Discovering the Real Me curriculum has enough variety within it to be able to fit into most or all of these kinds of courses.5. Morning Assembly
Some schools may use DTRM at a daily morning assembly. A morning assembly may emphasize one lesson or story from DTRM. The morning assembly, morning class meetings, or home room time may be used to impart a DTRM component.6. Forming a Peer Support Group
Since ongoing professional support is important to successful character education efforts, it is highly advisable that there be regular meetings available that school personnel can attend where they meet other teachers and receive ongoing support in their work. Even the most enthusiastic teachers can lose energy and motivation without a support structure. Inevitably, no matter how good the training and how capable the teacher, difficulties are bound to arise either inside or outside the classroom that will challenge a teacher’s commitment to character education. Within the class, he/she may find students unresponsive; outside the class, he/she may be under pressure to give it up. Whatever the reason, teachers need a place to which they can come to share their frustrations, difficulties, triumphs, and methodologies and receive feedback and support.If it is not possible to have such meetings, perhaps due to lack of a person to organize them or too far distances to travel, another way to offer support and stay in communication with teachers is through a monthly or quarterly newsletter on character education issues. Today there are many such publications, especially in the United States, and it would not be difficult to provide teachers with access to such material. An e-newsletter with a discussion forum might be set up for teachers who are able to access the internet.
7. Training Other Teachers
After some period of time using the material, somewhere between six months to a year, it is advantageous for teachers to attend a more advanced training workshop in which they can share experiences and learn from each other—what works and what doesn’t. They can also gain practice in lecturing the workshop presentations so as to be able to train others. They may have the chance to conduct or observe more demonstrations of lessons to gain insights how to more effectively use the material.If the character education advocate has good contacts at the Ministry of Education and has been able to make some foundation with schools teaching character education material, the next step may be to create and offer a course on character education at the country’s teacher colleges and/or teacher training institutes. In this way character education becomes a part of the professional development system. Much of the material can come right out of the teacher training workshops or from further research in the field. In preparation, the lecturer may want to take advantage of the many character education conferences that are offered every year, check out character education websites, and buy other character education materials.
Reinforcing Good Character at School, at Home and in the Community
Once teachers are using character education materials in the classroom, character education has the potential to spread further into the school and indeed into the community. This provides a more ideal setting for the moral instruction of the young. The most effective character education programs involve the home, school, and community as a mutually reinforcing network to protect and instruct the young in morality.A school-wide character education program means seeking to teach virtues through every aspect of the school environment, including cafeteria and bus behavior. A community-wide character education program means that the students are shown the standards for virtuous behavior in public places and in their own homes. The lessons are modeled and reinforced everywhere, providing a moral safety net.
Moral lessons may be taught and applied throughout the curriculum—in literature (fables, folk tales, classical and contemporary stories), history (examples of courage and virtue), science (the order and harmony of the universe; the importance of honesty in scientific inquiry), even mathematics (don’t cheat or copy someone else’s work; figures don’t lie). Schools may publicly promote and reward examples of virtuous behavior, whether among the school’s administrators, teachers and/or students. Other features of a school-wide program would be: having an overall theme; embedding core values in a well-publicized school code of ethics; involving all parts of the school community, from the cooks to the maintenance staff to the bus drivers, soliciting parental understanding and support for the program and having parents reinforce at home the virtues being promoted by the school.
A way to involve the community is to have shopkeepers and business owners attend planning meetings. Encourage them to participate in the school’s character education efforts by inviting them to speak on business ethics or the importance of setting goals or to give their character-based secrets to success on a career day. Businesses may want to reinforce the character education lessons of the school through signs and posters. After all, when students are being taught honesty, the local businesses benefit. They too would like students of character as patrons and would look forward to employing students who have ethics of diligence and pride of craft.
Schools practicing character education can become models for their communities and cities. They can become venues for holding teacher trainings, where some of their own teachers give the presentations and demonstrate character education lessons. They can become school communities wherein every employee is involved in the raising of the young. They can link to the community of parents and stakeholders who would like to see students of good character.
Key Points
General Recommendations
To conclude, we would like to offer you some general recommendations for teaching character education. As a conscientious educator, you are probably already doing some, most, or all of these.Training Exercise A
Besides the ways named in this section, brainstorm with others how a character education curriculum could be used during a school day.Training Exercise B
You are a bus driver. You pick up twenty students each day after school and drive them to their neighborhoods. Students behave very poorly on your bus every day. Yet you notice that if you stand outside the bus and greet each student individually as they board, their behavior is better that bus trip.Name five other ways you can change your own behavior that could affect the way students behave on your bus.
[[#_ftnref|[1]]] Dr. Josephine Hauer, “Educating for Character and Teachers’ Moral Vitality,” Journal of Research in Character Education, Vol. 1, No. 1, Center for Character and Citizenship, University of Missouri, St. Louis.